Variable number of columns in GridLayoutManager
Take a look at the setSpanSizeLookup method of the GridLayoutManager. It lets you specify the span size for specific positions of your RecyclerView. So maybe you could use it to fit with your requirements for the variable column number.
Edit:
GridLayoutManager manager = new GridLayoutManager(context, 2); // MAX NUMBER OF SPACES
manager.setSpanSizeLookup(new GridLayoutManager.SpanSizeLookup() {
@Override
public int getSpanSize(int position) {
if (position == 1 || position == 6) {
return 2; // ITEMS AT POSITION 1 AND 6 OCCUPY 2 SPACES
} else {
return 1; // OTHER ITEMS OCCUPY ONLY A SINGLE SPACE
}
}
});
When using this sort of layout manager your RecyclerView should look like this:
+---+---+
| 0 | |
+---+---+
| 1 |
+---+---+
| 2 | 3 |
+---+---+
| 4 | 5 |
+---+---+
| 6 |
+---+---+
(only boxes with numbers represent items of your RecyclerView, other boxes are just empty spaces)
If you want to make a variation like: 4 columns, 5 columns, 6 columns... You can get the MMC (minimum multiple common) between this numbers (60) and set the GridLayoutManager:
GridLayoutManager manager = new GridLayoutManager(context, 60); // set the grid with the MMC
manager.setSpanSizeLookup(new GridLayoutManager.SpanSizeLookup() {
@Override
public int getSpanSize(int position) {
return 12; // 60/12 = 5 Columns
}
});